Food Protection Trends - January/February 2021 - 43

The backbone or core thawing profile for tuna from −20 to
−1°C is generally a smooth curve with a long horizontal lag
at about −5 to −2°C where the phase change occurs (Fig. 1).
Every curve of a core temperature of a tuna being thawed will
have a similar shape, but the slopes and inflection points will
differ. The rate of temperature increase is faster from −20 to
−5°C but then slows down or pauses as the phase change occurs. Figure 1 also shows that thawing a 30- to 32-kg albacore
may take ≥20 h depending on the initial temperature and the
temperature of the thaw water.
Baranowski et al. (5) found that the populations of
histamine-forming bacteria and their ability to form
histamine are reduced when the tuna is frozen for some
time. Vogl et al. (75) had difficulty starting a histamine
decomposition experiment with frozen fish and had to use
fresh, never frozen fish. The processing limits and CLs in the
2011 HACCP Guidance (69) are different for fresh fish and
previously frozen fish because of the impact of freezing on
the tuna and bacteria.
Tempering and maintaining frozen tuna at or below −3°C
will improve control of the thawing process and of histamine
formation. The reported temperatures required for histamine
formation are too high for histamine to be formed during
tempering of tuna. Holding the fish at or below −3°C can also
serve as a short-term buffering time for scheduling the fish
into the process.
Suggestions for tempering are as follows.
(i) Because tempering requires extra work, use this
technique for fish that cannot be thawed in 12 h.

(ii) Use a tempering room at a constant temperature of −3
to −4°C, with good air flow (Table 3). For better air contact
with the fish, wire cage totes can be used (see cover photo).
(iii) Limit the tempering time to 72 h, which should be
enough time for the largest fish to warm from −20 to −3°C
and allows the operations team to start the fish on a Friday
and temper it over a weekend with time to spare. When this
operating limit is exceeded, the odor of every fish on the
butcher line should be assessed.
(iv) Always use a temperature measuring system that keeps
a continuous record of the ambient temperature per the
warning letters from the FDA (66, 72).
When the tempering room is attached to the cold storage
area, it should be insulated. The ambient temperature must
be continuously maintained below −3°C and continuously
recorded. The time for determining the CL for thawing will
not start until the tuna leaves both the tempering room and
the cold storage and insulated transportation trucks. The time
for determining the CL for thawing will not start until the
fish are moved into a space with ambient temperatures >4°C.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors thank Dr. Mona Baumgartel and Dr. Jon
Bell for their valuable assistance in editing this document
and the reviewers for their suggestions for improving the
manuscript. The authors declare no conflict of interest,
financial or otherwise.

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